ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a metatheoretical analysis of the sources of conflict in organizations, and the role of conflict in organization theory, throughout the past century and a half. The history of organizational conflict will be conceptualized as a history of tension and change in both organizations and the theoretical literature. Tension is created by the human capacity to resist structural constraints and to strive for a more congenial organizational environment. Change is generated by the dialectical interplay between these organizational structures and human reactions. This interchange has produced continuous changes within organizations and has driven the evolution of organizational theories and managerial strategies. There is no final resolution to the organizational tensions and conflicts. They are permanent features of all organizational systems populated by the human factor. The evolution of management strategy and organization theory can be chronicled as a history of trial and error in developing methods and techniques for managing and conceptualizing these tensions.
